The Price of Life
by coralvortex
Summary: Embry finds his soul mate, but the odd circumstance in which they met is making it difficult for a relationship to blossom. EmbryxOC / Imprinting Story / M for language
1. Pilot

Pilot

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><p><strong>AN: I won't try to make a habit of leaving author notes but I figured that this is a necessary introductory one. This is a pilot; if the reaction is good then I will be adding to this story. If all goes well, I plan on making this story 50k words—hopefully. I won't be using Embry's POV that often, so if I don't state Embry's POV then it's the imprint'sOC's. Also I'm probably going to begin each chapter with a quote to set the tone and hint at what will happen.**

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><p><em>"Look past the things you think you see. Move your head just to the left; a glance in a world of perspectives and then you might see it: an entire universe in the corner of your eye."<em>

_—Welcome to Night Vale - Episode 41 - WALK_

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><p>Embry POV:<p>

It was official; we were making a trip to Seattle, the same place that was undeniably infected with a blood sucker army. It all started because Kim needed to get a prom dress, but Jared didn't want her going to Seattle; Kim complained to Emily, Emily decided that she needed to take a trip to Seattle too. Since Emily has Sam wrapped around her little finger, she convinced him to let the two go. For extra protection Seth and I were dragged along as well.

Seth and I ended up drive in separate car from Kim, Jared, Sam, and Emily because the lack of room in Emily's little car. Once we got to the store Sam and Jared went to look at prom dresses with the imprints while Seth and I checked a two block radius for leeches.

"Hey, so how many leeches do you think are in this city?" Seth asked me as we carelessly walked down the sidewalk. "I mean there's been so many people that have gone missing, there has to be the at least a dozen."

"Jesus Seth, keep your voice down. It's a secret remember?" I muttered to him. I glanced at Seth to see that he had his nose scrunched up, assuming the worst I sniffed the air, only to get assaulted by the thick smell of car exhaust.

"I wasn't talking that loud," Seth protested, noticeably quieter. "Can we go back now? I don't smell a leech and that exhaust is giving me a headache."

I sigh, "I suppose we scoped it out enough," and we slowly made our way back to the dress shop.

By the time the girls had found a dress it was about dinner time, so we drove around until we found an all you can eat buffet. Once we got out of the car and walked closer to the door there was a sign hanging up on in that read, 'Check or cash only'.

"Shit." Sam sighed, "I only brought a credit card."

"There's a bank over there. We can get cash." I replied.

No one objected and soon we were at the bank.

The line sluggishly went forward as I stood waiting my turn. The imprints and the guys were waiting in some chairs by the front door. In the quite of the lazy bank there was a female voice that rang out in an aggressive tone. "Everyone get the fuck down."

Shit. I glanced back to check on the pack and my eyes connected with one of the robbers and my world stopped. Suddenly everything in my life felt like it had led to this moment. She began to approach me, I had no idea what else was going on around me, I only had eyes for her. And then my imprint did something I will never fully believe; she kicked me in the balls, hard. I fell to the ground and cup the family jewels.

"When I say get to the fucking ground, you drop to the god damn ground. Got it?" She growled. Her gun, which was pointed at my face, blocked my view from seeing her entire masked face, but I could still see her dark brown, almost black, eyes. Her eyes grew darker and I realized I hadn't responded to her, I quickly nodded and she turned away.

"Hey Roy, that guy causing you any problems?" A male voice asked her. As he approached her, she moved away from me and more towards him. He put his hand on her shoulder. I scowled at him from my spot on the floor. Anger began to surge through me. Who was that? Why did he care?

Before I could completely wolf out, another masked figure popped up from behind the teller's desk. "Biv, romance is for after we're rich and Roy help me out, these damn cashiers pressed the silent alarm. We gotta grab the cash and split. Biv babysit the people."

Once Roy was out of my line of sight I remembered the other imprints. I glanced back and saw that Sam and Jared were too busy calming down the girls to see what just happened, but Seth had a stupid smirk on his face, I glared at him.

"Hey," I heard Biv shout, "shut that damn kid up." It seems that someone's kid was frightened and Biv thought shouting would fix it. I felt my anger bubble up. Which was odd since I was usually level headed. 'Biv didn't deserve Roy, she was mine,' my inner wolf snarled.

Sirens were in the distance; my wolf hearing could pick it up, before the humans could. Suddenly my stomach twisted; If Roy gets caught, how will we form a relationship? We'll never see each other again.

My internal turmoil was cut short by Biv's voice, "Hey G, you about got the money collected?"

"Yup!" a voice sounded. I recognized it as the person who had called Roy to help with the money. Biv took off running into the room that Roy was in with G(?).

As I heard the thieves run down an echoic hallway and out the back of the bank the door slammed shut behind them with a condemning bang, it occurred to me that my imprint may have just escaped imprisonment but was now at the mercy of a leech army.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> **There wasn't much feedback on the pilot, but I'm going to keep putting out chapters on this story because I've got an idea that I want to try out for chapter three which hopefully give the story a boost. Chapter three will also be much bigger so I hope to be getting the next chapter out soon. Sorry for the long delay in getting out this chapter.**

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><p><em>"—To struggle with the world,—that is a proud thing; to struggle alone,—there lies the doubt!"<em>

_—Dream Life: Fable of the Seasons-By: IK Marvel_

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><p>'Roy' POV:<p>

-Pre robbery-

My stomach growled. Gosh. I haven't eaten in days. Thank god my paycheck was supposed to come in the mail today. I had done some articles for a magazine. It wasn't anything too important, just some fluff articles, but money was money. I trot down the stairs to the ground floor of my apartment building and check the mail, nothing. That's odd, the mail man had come. It was two in the afternoon after all. My cell phone had been turned off last month when I had to choose between eating and calling my nonexistent friends, so I had to use the payphone outside now. As I went to the door of the apartment building I walked right in to the landlord. Oh no. I wonder if he's noticed I've been avoiding him.

"Oh look who's showing their face. So Sage, when do you plan on paying your rent."

"I'm sorry, Adam, my paycheck was supposed to come today. Could you give me—"

"More time?" he finishes for me. "I've given you 'more time' for two months. Does that paycheck really have two months' rent and this month's?"

"Look, the check was probably mixed up. I'll make some calls, clear everything up, and you'll have your money." I beg.

"Hey, I like you, you're a good girl, but I gotta pay the bills too; and I can't do that if you aren't paying yours. So I'll tell you what, you get out of here and find some different place to live. I'm sure the paycheck that is _definitely_ coming can get you a different place to stay, so it won't be a problem." He said full of sarcasm.

"Come on just wait one more day." I plead.

His gaze started to trail down my body, I forced back a shudder. Once his eye where back on mine they were filled with lust, he said, "I'll tell you what, you can stay one more night—in my room."

Gross. "Adam, come on, you can do this to me."

"That's you're only option, Sage." He said lowly, taking a step towards me.

"That's not even a real option." I say with a glare. "You can take my key but I get to keep my mailbox key for when the paycheck comes."

"'When' is a very loaded word." Adam said darkly.

I hand him the room key and turn away. "I have a lot of calls to make Adam, so if you're done I will be leaving."

"Darling I'll never be done with you." He calls after me. God, he's sick.

After effectively feeling violated from that conversation, I make my way to the payphone and dial the magazine company. After a machine sorts my call into the proper department, I speak with my editor.

"Hi, Marcy," I say trying to sound friendly, "I was looking through my mail today, and I saw my paycheck wasn't there. Is there a reason—" I was cut off.

"Sage, what are you talking about; you expect to be paid for those articles?"

"Yes, we talked about that when I first agreed to write them."

"When we agreed, I was under the impression that they would be good."

I ground my teeth. "What are you talking about?"

"Sage," she said slowly, as if explaining to a child that the stove is hot, "my five year old could have written a better."

"Then why did you even print them?!" I argued, "You can't just use my work and then not pay me!"

"Honey, I just did." She scoffed, "Or better yet, I paid you in exposer and experience. If anything you should be paying me for printing you."

"You are—" I stopped myself from calling her any names that popped into mind. I needed her mercy.

"You can't even complete a thought verbally, and here I thought it was just in you're writing that you lack intellectual power. Sage, never call me again. Your work with this company is over."

The line went dead, my mouth went dry, I choked out a "Hello?" but the only respond was the dial tone.

So that was it, I was out of work and out of luck. Needing a place to stay I contemplated going back to Adam, better the devil you know, but changed my mind. I didn't want to lower myself to asking him for help.

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><p>Like a lost child, I wandered through the streets trying to think of a way to save myself. I don't know how long I walked, I only stopped after my feet started to hurt and blister. The cover of night had blanketed the town. Questionable characters that are normally repelled from the warmth of light started to crawl from whatever niche they were hiding in during the day. Towns tend to have to personalities; daytime and nighttime, towns are the people. A town doesn't get a notorious reputation alone, it needs the people, to build it up or rip it down.<p>

I was so confused, everything was working out so well for me, but now, I don't know. That night I slept in a subway on the bathroom floor, I locked the door and slept sitting up.

When I woke, it was still early in the morning. It's hard to get a full nights rest on a concert floor. I considered going into different stores and apply for jobs, but I didn't have my social security card anymore, my high school diploma, or a change of clothes; everything was in my apartment, well, I can't really call it 'my apartment' anymore. I stood up and stretched, muscles aching from sitting awkwardly for so long. I was so lethargic and tired that I smacked my head on the wall; startled I jumped back and away from the tiled, yellowy-white, wall. With my new found headache, I pulled myself up using the sink as an anchor. I slowly moved out of the bathroom and out of the subway.

Resurfacing from the underground world, I saw that I had woken just before the sun. The sky was a red streaking into an orange and dew moistened the streets. The last time I had watched a sunrise was in high school, waking up early for class and to study, now that I didn't have anything to do in the morning, I was usually dead to the world at this time. I felt sick to my stomach and remembered that I hadn't actually eaten anything yesterday. I didn't have any money and I was at a lost for what I could do.

When I was young, my parents had taken me to a street fair. There where huge rickety rides, games that were made just to cheat people out of money, and homeless people on the street begging for money. I didn't pay any mind to the homeless people. I was young and I didn't understand why they were so sad; didn't they know that they were sitting at a fair, among flashing lights and funnel cakes? There was a homeless girl; she looked fresh out of high school, I was riding on my dad's shoulders, I looked down upon her, and waved. I remember my mother had seen me do this and looked at me with disapproval, like acknowledging the homeless would mean that you are required to offer your home to them. My parents taught me my first real world lesson that day: It's easier to not feel guilty for not helping people, if you pretend that you don't see them. Of course I didn't understand back then, but as I got older, I realized my parents worked very hard in order to not make eye contact with the homeless.

Now that I am in fact homeless, I couldn't help but wish that I had been taught different. To not fear the homeless, to not ignore them; how ironic: a homeless person that feared the homeless. I didn't fear the homeless in the scared way, but in the guilty way. The wealthy fear the poor because the wealthy continue to play the game that cheat the poor. The wealthy don't fear the poor because of what the poor are, but what the poor represent: how much money you have, is how much you count as a person.


End file.
